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Avon & Somerset police at Glastonbury

17th June 2022

The Festival’s local police force, Avon & Somerset Police, will once again be at this year’s Festival, helping us to ensure that it’s a safe event for everyone.

You can read lots of useful advice and information from them over on the newly-updated Police pages of this website now. And check out their safety tips below.

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As in previous years, we’ve worked closely with Festival organisers and the local authority to prepare for the event and we’ll once again be carrying out a neighbourhood-style policing operation to ensure it is safe for everyone attending and those who live nearby.

This will involve regular visible patrols of the site by uniformed officers, officers on horseback and officers on bicycles. Festival-goers are encouraged to approach all our officers – they will be happy to stop and have a chat and will, once again, be giving out thousands of our mobile phone pouches. They will also be providing advice, support and information on our @policeatglasto Twitter and Instagram accounts in the run up to, during and after the Festival. Ahead of this year’s event, we want those attending to be familiar with the following safety advice

  • Arrive early for extra security measures. This will help prevent delays getting in.
  • Be patient with security checks and don’t give security, staff or stewards a hard time. It might seem inconvenient, but these measures are in place to help you.
  • It is essential you don’t bring unnecessary items to the event. A suggested packing list can be found on Glastonbury Festival’s website along with a list of prohibited items, such as lasers, fireworks and drones. Packing light will also help to speed up searches and your entry to the event.
  • If at any point you believe your own or someone else’s drink has been tampered with, alert security or a police officer and seek medical advice either by calling the NHS’ non-emergency number 111 or by visiting one of the on-site medical facilities. Adding a substance to someone’s drink without their knowledge or permission is a serious offence and could result in serious harm if the person suffers an adverse reaction.
  • If you spot someone acting suspiciously, report it to a police officer or to a member of security staff immediately. Don’t leave it to someone else.
  • If you see something on social media that concerns you, report it.
  • In an emergency, always call 999 and look around you for help from staff – especially those with radios who can raise the alarm quickly.
  • Don’t leave bags unattended or anywhere they could cause a security scare. And never agree to look after anyone else’s bags, no matter how genuine they seem.
  • If there is an incident, listen to staff and any announcements. Festival organisers have emergency plans to help you keep safe.
  • Remember, the chance of being caught in a terrorism incident is small. But if it happens – Run, Hide, Tell.

To enhance security, we will also be carrying out Project Servator deployments in and around the festival site.

There is no intelligence to indicate an increased threat to Glastonbury 2022 or any other festival or music event taking place this summer. However, as we did during the last Festival in 2019, we will again be supporting Counter Terrorism Policing’s #BeSafeBeSound campaign on Twitter and Instagram.

If a crime is in progress or there is a threat of immediate danger people should call 999. To report non emergencies they can call us using one of the on-site phones located at the police compound, calling 101 or report online using our dedicated report crime at Glastonbury form.

Policing of the event does not start and stop on the Festival site.

We, along with the local council and the festival, will have representatives at Pilton Village Hall throughout the event for local people to speak to should they have any concerns or worries.

With more than 200,000 people at the event each day, we do not underestimate the impact the festival might have on the local community and so officers and security staff will be patrolling on all of the routes to the site to ensure festival-goers have a safe trip and that local residents are disturbed as little as possible.

More information and advice on travelling to and from the event, personal property and how we police drugs at the Festival can be found on the dedicated Glastonbury Festival page of our website.

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